KVR Audio

supersonic118 · Post by **supersonic118** » Wed May 12, 2021 5:29 pm

Which granular synth is going to give me more control and allow me to make more sounds?

starflakeprj · Post by **starflakeprj** » Wed May 12, 2021 5:35 pm

We're not sure, you're quite new here. We don't know you, your needs and your workflow..

supersonic118 · Post by **supersonic118** » Wed May 12, 2021 5:52 pm

I just would like a second opinion. I make IDM music and I'm wondering which one can get a good balance between glitchy noises and normal sounding noises.

syntonica · Post by **syntonica** » Wed May 12, 2021 11:10 pm

Grip requires Reaktor. If you already have it, then you're golden. Padshop sounds great, but is Steinberg. You're feelings on this matter are you're own.

Omnisphere has a terrific grain oscillator. If you already have it, you should check it out.

You might also enjoy The Mangle, which is now £20 (~US$30). It's very hands on with great controls, but I'm not sure how long it's been since it was updated. However, it sounds clean and modern compared to the other choices out there.

Of all these, I think Padshop and Omni sound best, but if you want glitchy and paddy, then The Mangle is the best choice.

Anyway, demo what you can and watch and listen to what you can't. Good luck!

BBFG# · Post by **BBFG#** » Thu May 13, 2021 12:06 am

I'd definitely stay away from Mangle.
(Do a search and read the threads for yourself.)
And while Omnisphere's granular engine did improve, it still doesn't compare to others on it's own.

I believe Pad Shop 2 has a soft license that doesn't require the dongle now?
And you can find an unregistered license in the KVR market place for very cheap. And since it does granular and spectral, it's capabilities are a far better value (and IMO, better granular) to what Omni is at 40 times higher the price.

pdxindy · Post by **pdxindy** » Thu May 13, 2021 12:34 am

Pigments is pretty good for granular...

killmaster · Post by **killmaster** » Thu May 13, 2021 1:29 am

Grip and New Sonic Arts Granite are both fantastic. Mangle is really good but I wouldn't buy it today cause of it's lack of updates and support. Padshop is also amazing,

Overall, I prefer working with Granite the most.

(Form and Skanner XT are also worth a look if you are considering Reaktor insturments. Also, Reaktortips Vectorspace is really great and fun and "musical" https://reaktortips.com/2015/05/vectorspace.html
I guess these last 3 are more like wave scanners, not really granular though.)

BBFG# · Post by **BBFG#** » Thu May 13, 2021 3:04 am

pdxindy wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 12:34 am Pigments is pretty good for granular...

+1

BassMasterK · Post by **BassMasterK** » Thu May 13, 2021 5:07 am

If you are looking purely for granular, it is hard to beat Padshop 2. A lot of.symths add it in as a nice bonus but Padshop is the real deal with more precise controls than any other granular synth engine I have seen to date.

pdxindy · Post by **pdxindy** » Thu May 13, 2021 6:57 pm

BassMasterK wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 5:07 amPadshop is the real deal with more precise controls than any other granular synth engine I have seen to date.

Which precise controls does it have that others do not?

skyscape · Post by **skyscape** » Fri May 14, 2021 12:42 pm

While I have a copy of Padshop, I never seem to reach for it anymore. Synths like Pigments and Rapid are doing granular, but with other types of synthesis too and it's really nice to layer them.

WasteLand · Post by **WasteLand** » Fri May 14, 2021 1:26 pm

pdxindy wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 6:57 pm
BassMasterK wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 5:07 amPadshop is the real deal with more precise controls than any other granular synth engine I have seen to date.
Which precise controls does it have that others do not?

indeed good question, i like Padshop 2, i have it (as part of..). but also have other granulars.
it is has quite some controls, but other granulars.. o well... what works for you.

but there are other granulars that have a lot, a lot of control. (yes mentioning crusher-x, crushes all of course...)

masterhiggins · Post by **masterhiggins** » Fri May 14, 2021 1:47 pm

Granite is pretty great. The big selling point with new sonic arts is they’re on top of their dev game. They actually listen to their users and put out very stable releases.

dave dove · Post by **dave dove** » Sat May 15, 2021 6:05 am

i had a refund on padshop2 because it wouldn't work properly on my system...
steinberg support and i spent @3 months fannying about trying to fix it
in the process i reconfigured my windows/graphic install several times
i had bought the upgrade from v1 which does work fine
anyways - it is very powerful and sounds good if it works on your system - the filters are nothing great though

i own the mangle but can no longer download/authorise it

there's loads of stuff in reaktor that's lovely - grip being just one of them

briefcasemanx · Post by **briefcasemanx** » Sat May 15, 2021 8:33 am

How does the Reason one, Grain, compare to these others? Usually I just use Pigments or Grain but I haven't experimented much at all with granular synthesis. I'm not even sure I understand the point of it.

Grip vs Padshop 2?